Tobacco Documents Online

The appearance of an article in the NEW ENGLAND JCURNAL OF NEIDICINE in which a story in the NEW YOFK HERAhD TRIBUNE, The TRIBLTNE the following day ran a Dr. Henry Satterlee propounding his theories on arsenic became the basis for TIl3C coI>anent. NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE New York, New York October 7, 1960 Imagine the fear that swept through the British Isles in November, 1900, when 6,000 ' millhands and coaI miners of the Manchester-Salford-Liver- pool districts came down with arsenic poisoning from drinking aduiterated beer. Beer was known then-as it still is-as the "backbone" of dreat Britain. A New-York Tribune correspondent in Lon- don wrote o1 the arsenic-poi- aoning scare: "The workingman aow empties his pewter pint with more or less fear and trembling. Seventy died in the epidemic: " At that time, few in the LI. S. read the xeports witl~ more care than a young hospitai intern open nres, absorbing arsenic. The leaves also absorb arsenic from pesticides. It took a Royal Commission, appointed by King Edward VII and headed by the famous physicist, Lord Kelvin, to come up with the SndinQs. In doinK so, the commission developed a methpd for determining the amount of volatile (gaseous) arsenic given o8 by the fires.. The method, Dr. Satterlee wrote in the current "New Eng- land Journai of Medicine" out yesterday, has since been for- gotten by researchers. Dr. Sat- terlee wrot'e researchers have been ignoring arsenic as a NEW YORK HERAIdD TRIBUNE New York„ New York =~3 October 8, 1960 Refutes ArBenic In Tobacco Link To Lung Cancer Dr. Robert C. Iiockett, asso- ciate scientific director of the Tobacco Industry Research Committee, took issue yesterday with the reported suggestion that arsenic in tobacco may be linked to lung caneer. Dr. Henry S. 9atterlee, of Newport, N. H., had reviewed the arsPnic-lung cancer situa- tion in an art'icle in the current "New E'ngland MedieaI Jour- nal," one ol the leading scien- tific journals in the country. In his review, Dr. Satterlee said he is convinced `.here is a link between the arsenic in cigarettes and the appearance of lung cancer. Dr. Hockett com:nented: "The research int'o this sub- jeet has included: analyses of tobaceo smoke„the soil in which the tobacco is grown, tests of smokers and non-smokers to d'et'ermine the difference in ar- senic absorption and inhalation tests with animals. "All of these have feiled to show any evidence that arsenic in tobacco has anything to do with .lung cancer." He also said that "Dr. Sat- terlee cites no cont'rary researr and has done no recent re-earch ~+ this that we know of." smoke (tobacco and industrial) industriai interest's and the pollutant beeause they have no government, which receives good way of ineasuring large revenues from cigarette from New Hampshire named Dr. presenes in ita gasedus form, taxes, of refusing to face up Henry S. Satterlee. Yesterday He suggests that researchers to the smokirig-cancer relation- . ernment to look into public structive solution to the prob- health menaees. Iem. Dr. Satterlee''s interest . in Investigators found that ar- By cont'rast, it is depressing cancer is an outgrowth oi hia. senic was finding its way into to contemplate earlier interest in arsqnic poi- _ present-day soningarhich induces shinglea, the British brew two ways- 'inertia in the smoking-oancer a disease o1 the nerves: He has ;through glucose, a cheap sugar problem„ frustrated in a tangle published flve papers on arsenic used as a substitute of the more of controversy and mixed moti- in tobacco. Thirty years ago expensive malt, and thr!ough vation, without prospect o1 he began a study of vacuum curing the barley and hops over authoritative organization and cleaner duat for arsenie con- open malting fires. The coke co-ordinat'ion of action that its tent. He found arsenic in used in the,fires gave oS large solution demands.' ' cigarette butts and ashes and eoncentrations of arsenie. To- Over the phone, Dr. 6atterlee then went on to measure arsenic bacco, today, like the British accused tobacco product manu- content in various brands of barley of 1900, is cured over facturers, other commercial and cigarettes. /~D33-4-33~/ Dr. Satterlee, now eighty-six carefully at the siaty-year-old and retired from general prac- British method. Dr. Satterlee spends his timA tice in Newport, N. H., pointed Perhaps more important', but In retirement looking intd out in a telephone interview of a philosophic rather than a arsenic as a cancer-causing two lessons leamed from the scientific nature, Dr. Satterlee agent in cigarette smoking. He 1900 beer-poisoning epidemic, suggests another lesson to be is convinced there is a link of interest to researchers study- learned from the beer poison- In 1951, he, found American ing the relationship between ing epidemic. In his words: cigarette smoking, air pollution ~~In 1960 it is sobering and cigarettes contaiaed forty titnes and lung cancer in 1960. edifying to reflect that' a~- more arsenic than cigarettea made fsom Oriental tobaccos .Scientific Lesson tional challenge to British ub- He cites studies . One lesson is scientific and lic-health administration wgs ahowing that smokers of American cigarettea eoncerns arsenie as a cancer capable of evoking a competent are more likely t'o suffer lung eause. The other is philosophic and weil-organized inquest that caneer than Orientai cigarette and concerns the duty of gov- promptly discovered .., a con- smokers